Sensing it was time to change direction, Ronstadt starred in the Broadway production of Gilbert & Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance, as well as the accompanying movie. That suspicion was confirmed with 1982's Get Closer, her first album since Heart Like a Wheel to fail to go platinum. While the album was a commercial success, it signalled that her patented formula was beginning to run out of steam. On 1980's Mad Love, she made a full-fledged new wave record, recording three Costello songs and adopting a synth-laden sound. (1978), Ronstadt began experimenting with new wave, recording Elvis Costello's "Alison" the album was another number one hit. Simple Dreams (1977) expanded the formula by adding a more rock-oriented supporting band, which breathed life into the Rolling Stones' "Tumbling Dice" and Warren Zevon's "Poor Poor Pitiful Me." The record became the singer's biggest hit, staying on the top of the charts for five weeks and selling over three million copies. Hasten Down the Wind, released in 1976, suggested a holding pattern, even if it charted higher than Prisoner in Disguise. Released in the fall of 1975, Prisoner in Disguise followed the same pattern as Heart Like a Wheel and was nearly as successful. ![]() Featuring the hit covers "You're No Good," "When Will I Be Loved," and "It Doesn't Matter Anymore," Heart Like a Wheel reached number one and sold over two million copies. Don't Cry Now, released in 1973, followed the same formula to greater success, yet it was 1974's Heart Like a Wheel that perfected the sound, making Ronstadt a star. With the inclusion of songs from singer/songwriters like Jackson Browne, Neil Young, and Eric Anderson, Linda Ronstadt had folk-rock connections as well. Featuring a group of session musicians that would later form the Eagles, the album was a softer, more laid-back variation of the country-rock she had been recording. Released in 1971, her self-titled third album was a pivotal record in her career. Ronstadt's first two solo albums - Hand Sown Home Grown (1969) and Silk Purse (1970) - accentuated her country roots, featuring several honky tonk numbers. After recording one more album with the group, Ronstadt left for a solo career at the end of 1968. 2, featured the Top 20 hit "Different Drum," which was written by Michael Nesmith. Calling themselves the Stone Poneys, the group became a leading attraction on California's folk circuit, recording their first album in 1967. The duo moved to Los Angeles, where guitarist/songwriter Kenny Edwards joined the pair. While Ronstadt was a student at Arizona State University, she met guitarist Bob Kimmel. After a brief flirtation with pre-rock pop, Ronstadt settled into a pattern of adult contemporary pop and Latin albums, sustaining her popularity in both fields. ![]() Throughout the '70s, her laid-back pop never lost sight of her folky roots, yet as she moved into the '80s, she began to change her sound with the times, adding "new wave" influences. ![]() Platinum-selling albums and Top 40 singles. With roots in the Los Angeles country and folk-rock scenes, Linda Ronstadt became one of the most popular interpretive singers of the '70s, earning a string of
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